This invention relates generally to storage and display apparatus for supporting articles of clothing, and more particularly to a storage and display unit in which modular hanger elements function to suspend an array of garments.
The common expedient for suspending a garment from a horizontal bar or rod mounted in a closet or on a rack is the individual clothing hanger made of wood or plastic and consisting of two outstretched arms in a V-formation, the ends of the arms being bridged by a dowel. A hook is attached to the apex of the arms to support the hanger from the bar or rod. When used in conjunction with a sleeved garment such as a coat or jacket, the arms of the hanger are inserted into the shoulders of the garment.
A standard hanger is unsuitable for garments lacking shouldered sleeves, such as undergarments, slips and bras provided with shoulder straps. In recent years, special hangers have been developed with slits or notches in their arms to retain these straps. While it has not been the past practice to suspend bras or slips from hangers, the use of special hangers for this purpose makes it possible to put such undergarments on display in retail establishments to promote sales. Also, it is known to provide clips to attach a garment such as a pair of shorts onto a conventional hanger.
But whether these hangers are of the standard or special type, the use of these hangers, each capable of supporting only a single article of apparel, in the environment of a department store, a boutique or any other retail facility, to display merchandise being sold, has distinct practical drawbacks.
For example, if the need exists for a display of bras in different styles and sizes, it is desirable to be able to hang literally dozens of such bras on individual special hangers which are hooked onto the horizontal rods of racks. In this way, a customer without the need to consult sales personnel may select a suitable bra from this display. And the rack may be wheeled to an appropriate store site.
In the course of a typical business day, many customers can be expected to comb through the racks in search of suitable bras, some customers taking a bra from the hanger in order to try it on and then returning the bra to the hanger should they decide against it. As an almost inevitable consequence of this activity which is often hectic, a rack display which at the outset of the business day was neat and orderly, becomes disordered in various ways, some hangers having been dislodged from the racks and many others being in skewed positions. This disarray is by no means conducive to effective merchandising, particularly in stores featuring goods of high quality.
Moreover, in many instances, it is not possible with commercially available racks to carry more than one level of hangers on each rack. Though the racks may have several tiers of rods to facilitate a stacked display, the tier spaces are predetermined and with relatively large garments it may not be possible to have more than one operative rack tier. Since floor space is at a premium in a retail establishment, the limits imposed by existing display apparatus represents a serious disadvantage.